The present invention relates to improvements in a double bearing type reel for fishing into which a pin type clutch mechanism is incorporated.
In general, a double bearing type reel for fishing includes: a spool rotatably supported between two side plates attached to a reel body; and a clutch mechanism to change over the spool between a fishing line winding state and a fishing line unwinding state. In this case, in the fishing line winding state, the clutch is turned on, and in the fishing line unwinding state, the clutch is turned off.
Conventionally, as disclosed in Japanese Examined Utility Model Publication No. 57-14606, this type clutch mechanism is composed as follows. There is provided a pinion meshed with a drive gear which is fixed to the handle shaft or frictionally engaged with the handle shaft by a drag mechanism, and this pinion is rotatably mounted on a spool shaft or a pinion shaft arranged coaxially with the spool shaft in such a manner the pinion can slide in the axial direction so that the pinion can be engaged with or disengaged from the clutch section mounted on the spool shaft. In the clutch mechanism, there is also provided a clutch plate to slide the pinion in the axial direction of the spool shaft or the pinion shaft. In the clutch mechanism, there is also provided a clutch cam to connect the clutch plate with the clutch operation member.
When the clutch operation member is operated, the clutch cam is rotated. Therefore, the cam section of the clutch cam moves the clutch plate in the axial direction, so that a clutch connection of the pinion gear with the clutch section is released, that is, the clutch is turned off. When the handle is rotated in the fishing line winding direction in the above condition, the return gear rotates the clutch cam in the opposite direction, so that an engagement of the cam section with the clutch plate can be released. As a result, the clutch plate connects the pinion gear with the clutch section again, so that the spool can be changed over from the fishing unwinding state to the fishing line winding state.
In this connection, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 5-34867 or as shown in FIG. 7, in the above clutch mechanism, as a structure of clutch connection by which the pinion and the spool shaft are connected with each other, a pin type clutch mechanism 9 is well known, in which a clutch engaging pin 3 protruding in the radial direction of the spool shaft 1 is provided on an outer circumferential surface of the spool shaft 1, and an engaging recess 7 with which the clutch engaging pin 3 is engaged is formed at an end of the pinion gear 5. The above pin type clutch mechanism 9 is incorporated into the most of the double bearing type reels 11 for fishing.
In the above clutch mechanism 9, in order to provide a sufficiently high clutch strength, it is necessary that the length of the clutch engaging pin 3 is sufficiently long. When the sufficiently long clutch engaging pin 3 is used, a load given to the clutch engaging pin 3 per unit area can be reduced, so that the clutch strength can be ensured.
Recently, it has been known that the fishing line unwinding property of the above double bearing type reel 11 for fishing can be enhanced when the diameter of the bearing section la of the spool shaft 1 to which the spool 13 is attached is decreased and also the diameter of the rolling bearing 15 to support the spool shaft 1 is decreased so that the rolling resistance can be reduced. Due to the above structure, the rotational resistance of the spool can be lowered when the fishing line is unwound.
Conventionally, into this double bearing type reel 11 for fishing, the spool 13 is incorporated in the following manner. The spool shaft 1 to which the spool 13 is attached is inserted together with the bearing 15 into the frame 17 of the reel body from the side of the side plate arranged on the opposite side. While the clutch engaging pin 3 attached to the end portion of the spool shaft 1 on the insertion side is made to penetrate the bearing holding section 17a of the frame 17 on the clutch side, the bearing 15 is set in the bearing holding section 17a on the clutch side. In this way, the spool 13 can be incorporated into the frame body 17.
Due to the foregoing, in the above double bearing type reel 11 for fishing, there is a limit to decrease the fishing line unwinding resistance. The reason is described as follows. Even when it is attempted to decrease the diameter of the bearing 15 for the purpose of lowering the rotational resistance of the spool in the case of unwinding the fishing line, in order to ensure a sufficiently high clutch strength as described above, it is necessary to use the clutch engaging pin 3, the length of which is sufficiently long. When the outer diameter of the bearing 15 is decreased to a value lower than the length of the clutch engaging pin 3, the clutch engaging pin 3 collides with the bearing holding section 17a on the clutch side in the case of incorporating the spool 13 into the frame body 17. Therefore, it is impossible to incorporate the spool 13 into the frame 17. For the above reason, in the double bearing type reel 11 for fishing described above, it is impossible to decrease the diameter of the bearing 15 to a value lower than the length of the clutch engaging pin 3. Therefore, the reduction of the fishing line unwinding resistance is limited.
Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 2-138563 discloses the following technique. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the clutch engaging pin 21 is attached to the spool shaft 19 in the radial direction. The clutch engaging pin 21 is protruded from the outer circumferential surface of the spool shaft 19. In the pinion gear 23, there is provided an engaging recess 25 capable of engaging with the engaging pin 21. In the above clutch mechanism 27, the bush type bearing 29 to support the bearing section 19a of the spool shaft 19 is previously attached to the bearing holding section 33 in the frame 31 on the clutch side. In the bearing 29, there is provided an insertion groove 35 into which the clutch engaging pin 21 can be inserted when the spool is incorporated into the reel.
However, in the conventional example described above, it is very difficult to apply a rolling bearing to this bearing 29. Even if the bearing 29 is composed of a rolling bearing, the following disadvantages are caused. The diameter of the bearing is increased. Therefore, the rotational resistance of the spool is increased when the fishing line is unwound.